Next top Must-Attend Events in Florida

As one of the world's top tourist destinations, Florida features an abundance of things to do. Every month, Florida's calender is packed with a diverse slate of activities, including quirky folk festivals, exciting sports events, spectacular parades and more. People rarely need to ask about what's happening in Florida; it's harder to decide between events in Florida than find them.

One of Key West's most popular events is the October Fantasy Fest. It is a festival designed for adults, featuring parades, drag queen contests and crazy costume contests. Today it is considered one of the biggest Halloween parties in the world, lasting longer than one week.

Every year in November, the downtown area comes alive as crafters demonstrate a wide array of skills from blacksmithing to weaving. The celebration of the arts continues with live musical performances. Local restaurants offer a variety of foods and a children's area encourages creative ex<x>pression.

November is the time to visit this historic downtown Gainesville to view hundreds of art displays and performances. Children can make their own crafts while adults shop for jewelry, paintings, ceramics, food and more.

Each December, the Miami Beach Convention Center hosts the exhibit that consists of pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries. Works come from over 250 galleries worldwide created by over 4,000 artists. The many genres of art represented in the show include paintings, prints, and sculptures along with video.

Top Things to Do in Florida

Florida features many adult-centered activities throughout the year. Early each year, the city of Tampa is invaded by pirates during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival, a multimedia celebration that features parades, music, art and film. The residents of Key West turn the streets into a non-stop party for Fantasy Fest, a festival and parade that has grown to rival Mardi Gras, during the last week of October. Daytona Bike Week, held near the beginning of March in Daytona Beach, glorifies motorcycles and turns the city into a nonstop motorcycle race.

However, Florida also features a number of family-friendly activities. The Florida Music Festival is an exciting weekend of discovery for the music industry; each spring, unsigned bands and performers play nonstop throughout Orlando while industry scouts search for the next big hit. The Daytona 500, the most popular and prestigious race in the NASCAR circuit, is held each year in Daytona Beach on the last Sunday in February. The Florida State Fair, held each February at the State Fairgrounds in Tampa, celebrates the state's agricultural traditions and features competitions, tempting and quirky foods, live shows, exhibitions and rides.

Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy some of Florida's permanent attractions. The Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral showcases the United States' space program, featuring IMAX films, exhibits, the Astronaut's Hall of Fame and more. The Salvador Dali Museum, located in St. Petersburg, is home to many of the surrealist painter's works and sits in a building as strange as Dali's art.